


Final Destination

by Rebel_Scum1221



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben and Rey are both nerds, Ben is a writer, F/M, Fluff, Ive been traveling a lot and this sprung up as inspiration, Like this is just pure fluff, Reylo - Freeform, ben and rey both get a little anxious, just all the reylo, loving the AUs right now so i wrote one, rey is a grad student, they meet on a six hour flight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 13:24:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16854793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rebel_Scum1221/pseuds/Rebel_Scum1221
Summary: Ben and Rey meet on a six hour flight from LA to New York and the rest of the story basically writes itself. Conversation ensues, and they both realize that there is something between them by the end of the flight. Ahh a shocker I know!





	Final Destination

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KyloRing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyloRing/gifts).



> -Hides out of my writer insecurity-

Airport security inched along slowly as Rey thrummed her passport, ready to be checked over and scrutinized by whatever tired security officer called her name.  
It was five pm on a normal workweek Tuesday, seriously how busy could an airport be? Even if it was LAX.

Due to her prolonged lunch with Finn —caused by her desire to stay with her best friend as long as possible— and some really unreasonable construction traffic, she was now very close to missing her flight. Thankfully her light packing saved the time of having to check her bag.

Rey looks over longingly at the Pre-TSA line that moves along without fluidly, before leaning over the man in front of her to stare at her lengthy, snail paced line of bodies waiting to go through security.

_Great, this is just peachy._

Her flight started boarding five minutes ago and it'll probably take her another thirty just to get through this bloody line.

She can't miss this flight, not with university and her shitty vacation days that she just used up. No, she has to get on that plane.

Readjusting her beaten up duffel bag strap, she taps her passport on her leg praying the line will start moving soon.

"Next!"  
—————————  
The line moves slowly... so, so slowly, but finally she's through it.

Rey half runs half hops as she pulls on her converse and books it to the gate, which of course ist the farthest away. Running up to the boarding ramp she flails around her ticket like an idiot to the airline staff, praying she got there in time.

Her breathless words rush out of her and she hands it over to the ticket manager. "Hi! I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be on this plane, here's my ticket."

"Unfortunately you're flight already left." The words make her stomach fall and that must be present of her face because the man adds, "hah I'm just kidding, go ahead and board."  
Rey looses a breath thanking the heavens above that she didn't, in fact, miss her flight.

She rushes down the aerobridge, shit eating grin plastered on her face, and enters the plane. Glancing back up from her ticket she starts her long descent to the back of the aircraft, sighing as she passes the luxury seats that bless their occupants with ample amounts of leg room.

Student loans tighten her budget for things and her shitty job didn't amount for much either, as she barely had enough money to go on this trip, much less get a better seat; so the back of the plane it is.

She arrives to her row and is finally given some sort of luck today, as there is a spot open in the overhead to put her duffel. After some fighting with it she's finally able to close the door and looks down to ask her fellow passenger if she can squeeze into the middle seat.

The eyes that meet her as she asks are strikingly brown. Most everyone she knew had brown eyes, including herself, but these were different. They were rich and deep; eyes that you could get lost in.

"Of course, sure, just let me get up."

_His voice. Lord help me._  
Rey was suddenly flustered by this man, and was further rendered speechless as he stood... and stood... and stood.

If she felt bad about leg room she can only imagine how he feels as he stood to his full height next to her, towering above her five foot seven. Rey wasn't short by any standard, which only made the size of her fellow passenger even more intense. 

Her internal schoolgirl blushed in her mind as he sat down beside her. She shushed her thoughts.

_Rey you're twenty two, get a grip it's not like you've ever seen an attractive man before._

She battles with herself as the plane moves and the flight attendants start their speech of flight safety and regulations. Rey shifts around in her seat, trying not to bump into either of her fellow passengers, as she searches for her seatbelt. Eventually, she manages to find the cold metal buckle, but not without looking like a blundering idiot. Of course she's still high on adrenaline and nerves from her attempt to catch the plane, and sitting next to well... him doesn't help.

She finally clicks the belt into place. Her victory is short lived though, because not two seconds later she's ramming her elbow into "Mr. Sculpted from marble, insanely attractive dude".

"Oh god I'm so sorry!" Rey says, tucking in her arms.

"Your fine, it happens more often than you think."

Of course it does, seeing how tall he is.

Oh is all she can think to say before she quickly adds, "I'm sure everyone wants to get their hands on you, so that probably doesn't help." 

Idiot, she thinks before continuing. "That's not why I bumped you though... to get touch you I mean. Not that I had a motive to bump you."  
_Shut up Rey! Shut up!_

"Yeah, I'm just sorry because I know I have bony elbows," she finally adds, stopping herself.

Looking away quickly before she can feel like more of an idiot she pulls out her earbuds hoping music will stop herself from saying anything else. 

For a second Rey thought she was lucky to possibly converse with this man, or more likely her schoolgirl self thought she was lucky; she now knows it's just another spit of bad luck. Blubbering Rey was the worst Rey and she's already accomplished idiocy of the highest degree with this man; spending six hours on a plane with this part of Rey ruling her primary actions is definitely her definition of bad luck.

Her point is further proven as she unlocks her phone only to have it die a second later.

_Fuck this is going to be a long flight._

 

~~~ hour one

 

They ascend shortly after Rey's rather embarrassing babbling, and soon she finds herself falling in and out of sleep. Whether it be the lack of other options, considering her phone is dead and she regrettably left her computer at her apartment, or possibly her utter lack of rest the past week, she doesn't know.

She had met Finn at the start of University, and through some miracle she was able to make her first friend in the United States. They had bonded through their experiences in the foster care system, both equally amazed that they were granted the scholarships they had, and were accepted into university to begin with. He introduced her to the friends he had already made, and they too hit it off. Rose was now her roommate, and Poe, ever the charmer and overall hellion, was their go to drinking buddy during their more... senseless times in grad school.

Finn had majored in film and media studies, and decided to move to LA after he graduated last year; Poe got a job offer shortly after so the two booked it across the country to their exciting starts at life.

Her trip had been wonderful, but due to some unfortunately timed papers Rose was forced to hang back, leaving Rey in the hands of her two very exuberant friends who, without Rose's stern motherly guidance, got her totally shitfaced.

Rey doesn't regret it, lord knows the week was definitely needed. Being able to blow off some long overdue steam was always nice, but as her eventful trip caught up with her she grew more and more tired; eventually passing out cold. 

 

You see one of the many problems with sitting in the middle seat in an packed airplane is that in the event that you do fall asleep, more times than not you end up falling over onto one of your fellow passengers.

That is exactly how Rey wakes up. Leaning over onto the "for the love of all things holy" stranger, practically nestled against his shoulder.

_Oh god! This seriously cannot be happening!_

"Oh! I am so so so sorry. I just must've fallen asleep and I didn't mean to invade your personal space!"  
_Here we go with the rambling again..._

He turns his head toward her and Rey expects him to grumble something about plane etiquette but instead he just sends her a smirk and goes back to writing in a leather bound journal.

She dare turns toward him as she wipes around her mouth thanking the universe that she didn't drool.

"How much time has past?" She asks him, regretting it immediately.

_You're supposed to be engaging with him as little as possible so you don't say anything stupid! What is this?!_

"Well we've been in the air for about an hour now, but if your inquiring about how long you've been asleep on my shoulder, I'd say about forty minutes," He responds, smirk still flecked across his face.

"I'm so so sorry about that, I normally don't sleep with strangers and their arms..." She pauses glancing down at said arms, and pushes down a blush because seriously how can someone have biceps that attractive. His face lights up in a full blown smile, crooked teeth and all. Reflecting on her sentence and realizing her wording mistake Rey quickly adds, "I mean, I usually don't sleep on planes. I actually don't sleep well, anywhere... sorry. You could've woken me up or something, I wouldn't have minded." Now she is blushing.

"Coming from someone who also sleeps like shit I would have felt bad if I woke you up. Even more so from a deep sleep, if your snores were any consolation."

Oh yes definitely blushing, Rey sheepishly grins and rubs her face with her palms, and he just watches her, stupid grin still on his face.

"Considering I've heard you snore, I feel I deserve a name at least,'" he adds.

"I'm Rey."

"Like ray of light?" He inquires, and she is taken aback. Most of the time people will relate her name to Ray Romano, or Ray Charles.

"I suppose yes, but with an E. And your name?"

"Ben."

"Well hello Ben, thank you for lending me your shoulder to sleep on, it was a quite comfy piece of real estate." She says, resisting the urge to run her palm into her face repeatedly.

"My pleasure."

He goes back to his journal, and Rey can't help but glance over at his elegant cursive as she takes her earbuds out, cursing her sleep deprived self for not plugging in her phone last night.

He glances up from his work again, probably noticing her stares, and just looks at her.

Rey doesn't understand how this man can make her so flustered, or how his eyes alone can render her speechless. She has never been the type of person to fall head over heels for just any John Doe she meets, but man is she fucked because somehow she can just feel her heart beating out of her chest.

"It died."

_He probably doesn't care._

He lets out a hum before turning back to whatever he was writing, and because Rey currently has no control as to what comes out of her mouth she says, "what are you working on, if you don't mind me asking?"

Ben takes a second to respond, and she almost wonders if she didn't speak loud enough over the thrumming of the plane but he eventually responds.

"It's a book. I've had this idea for a novel for a while but put it off for... reasons and I figured it was finally time for me to get it out of my head. I'm actually moving to New York, starting fresh..." he pauses and Rey almost feels bad for asking at all because his expression shifts but he continues, "I needed to get away, you know?"

And Rey, she does know. It's precisely the reason she applied for Colombia, and every other college in the US. Too many memories were held in London, things she was trying to push down and forget.

"I know the feeling," She says, and there is something in his gaze that makes her heart clench because he looks at her as if he knows exactly what she feels, something she hasn't even come to terms with.

_Stop it! You're making him out to be something he's not, you just met him. Change the subject to something less... deep._

"What is it about? Your book I mean," she tumbles out taking the advice of her inner brain for once.

"Well um, it's... complicated."

"As long as your willing to explain it I don't mind. We're here for another five hours and I have nothing to do."

A smile slowly spreads across his face and Rey's heart... well it just about jumps out of her rib cage.

He launches into his explanation and the conversation comes easily after that. She thinks it's funny, just how passionate he gets on the topic, and Rey actually finds herself becoming interested in the story. Of course it also helps that she gets to willingly look at his wonderful features as he speaks. 

 

~~~hour two

 

Ben is baffled. Completely and utterly baffled. 

Somehow Rey, with that beautiful smile that lights up her face and those adorable freckles, has instilled a confidence in him; she managed to get him to actually talk about his book, which he vowed never to do. Not after that incident.

She's either genuinely interested in it too, or a really good actor. He can't help but think the latter, but that is to be expected after years of negativity towards the characters that got him through boarding school. 

He was constantly reminded of how intense they were, and that the story was filled with a darkness that would disturb the readers. But as he tells her about his fantasy world and his main character he can't help but feel as if she does really care.

He started writing it halfway through his first year of boarding school, probably in attempt to help with the feelings of abandonment he felt from his parents. Ben can still vividly remember the nights he stayed up writing in his beat up journal because he couldn't fall asleep, mind racing and spiraling. 

Ben tells her all of this before stopping himself. 

_You just met her, she doesn't want to hear about your fucked up life._

"Okay so its a high fantasy, and your main character left his Uncle's Academy because he betrayed his trust and tried to kill him?" Rey says after a pause in his talking. Ben cant help but stare at her in awe. She actually listened. 

"That is correct."

"And this Snoak person was in his mind, did he talk to Kylo, or was he just a presence?" Her eyes light up now, and Ben can't help himself. He is suddenly getting lost in the hazel of her eyes. The character in his book, Kira, has hazel eyes; now he knows the perfect way to describe them. 

"Snoak had been in his mind since before he was born, and yes he talked to him. For a while I think Kylo just thought it was his mind. I like to think that is why Kylo had further been swayed to join him. Snoak had been a constant in his life, perhaps the only one he had, and probably going to him came across as a good idea at the time. I like to think that Snoak, as an abuser, came across as comforting to him in a time of hopelessness, and because of that and other reasons Kylo felt like he was his only option, but he soon realized his mistake as he went though years of mental and physical abuse," Ben adds. This is the part people don't understand. They make Kylo out as a monster, when in reality his is one of the main protagonists. 

Ben's uncle once got his hands on his book. He read it, and like everyone else immediately saw Kylo as a villain who was an idiot not smart enough to understand the situation and choose correctly. 

"It seems like Kylo was let down and misunderstood by everyone in the story who needed to support him." 

Ben's thoughts stop. 

Rey, she is the first one to come to that conclusion. She is the first one to understand, and it makes him take a moment to regroup his thoughts. 

She continues fiddling with her earbuds. "Would you mind if I read it?"

Ben's breath hitches and suddenly the spark of hope he had towards his book is gone. 

She is going to hate it, once she reads the whole story. She only knows part of it, what is she going to think about me if she even has the guts to finish it. 

Her gaze shifts to meet his and suddenly he doesn't care. This book, the very epitome of everything he is, will give her more access to him than his spoken words ever would, and Ben wants that. He wants her to know him like no one else, and finds he wants to know her too. 

_Stop it! Stop! You barely know her, once you get off the plane you'll never see her again, there is literally no reason to feel the way you are feeling so stop._

"You don't have to if you're not comfortable. I just mean... I just, id like to read it. It sounds interesting." Rey shuffles in her seat a bit and Ben can start to see a blush rise to her cheeks. 

"Yeah, you can read it. I'm warning you though, I only gave you a brief rundown off all the stuff in that story." He fakes confidence and shifts down to pull out his laptop which holds his edited version before adding over his shoulder. "Its technically a romance novel, you'll have to tell me if my smut meets your standards." 

Her cheeks become very heated in that moment and Rey has to force herself not to giggle like a little girl. 

_What have I gotten myself into._ They both think as they run their fingers through their hair.

 

~~~hour three

 

Ben tucks his Laptop back into his messenger bag just as the flight attendant starts to gather drink orders, making her way slowly down the aisle. He tries not to think about what he just did, but his mind keeps running back to the email he just sent to the lovely ScavengerGirl5102 and he can't help but feel on edge. Luckily she won't be reading it on the plane. Ben cannot even fathom the anxiety that would give him, just thinking about it makes his hands shake. 

Essentially he should be fine. The whole reason Ben decided to pack up and move to NYC, along with other reasons of course, was to work at a publishing company that he applied for and work towards seeing his own work hit the shelves. Something is different when he knows the person reading it though. He can't help but cringe at the hums and intakes of breath that people free while reading, wondering if they are negative reactions to his work. Ben just knows that if he had to wait for her beautiful hazel eyes to finish flitting across the screen the world that is his thoughts would drive him mad. 

Ben takes a breath in attempts to calm his mind before it consumes him whole like the Sacheon beast of his story. 

_Make conversation Ben, distract yourself before you start to bring your past into the mix of spiraling._

"So ScavengerGirl5102," He says making use of her email name in attempts to make her blush. It works. "Are you flying back home or visiting someone?" 

_Oh boy here we go at attempts at small talk._ His mind whispers as she takes her time replying.

Rey stares at him for a moment unable to escape the enigma that is his eyes, his whole face actually, before realizing that she is staring. 

"Oh! Right," She coughs a little before adding, "I'm coming home. I just visited Finn." 

The mention of this "Finn" Ben can start to feel his cheeks heat. There is maybe a little bit of jealously hidden somewhere in his gaze too, though he would never admit that.  
He somehow had the idea that Rey would be single. His brain is quick to tell him the stupidity of that thought, considering that he has already discovered her attractiveness. He can also tell that her personality is definitely a quality many would look for. Now Ben is starting to wonder why he even thought she wouldn't be in a relationship, and lord knows he wouldn't have a chance with her.

She seems to understand where his mind is racing though because she quickly adds, In that adorable way of hers, "He is a friend from college, graduated last year. We both came from the foster system, connected over that when we met, and have been friends ever since." 

"Oh." Is all he can seem to make out. 

Luckily before they both lapse into awkward silence the attendant finally makes it to their seats. 

"Drinks?" 

"Can I get a Dr. Pepper please." Rey says as the attendant skips over the man asleep in the window seat. Ben had forgotten he was even there. 

"And for you sir?"

"Dr. Pepper as well." 

Rey looks over to him as the attendant continues along, grinning broadly. 

"What?" Ben asks, suddenly very aware of his existence in this earth, hoping he didn't royally fuck up something. 

"I'm glad you're a DP person, I don't know if I could keep talking to you if you favored pepsi." Her smile is enough to knock him off his feet. Ben is suddenly very grateful for the cramped airplane seat to support his weight.

Their conversation lightens after that, and Ben finds himself lost in conversation with this stranger. Rey does most of the talking, for that he is grateful.

Ben has now noticed things about her, for instance the way her face lights up when she talks about her friends, or how she animates with her hands, and it has now pulled him into a sort of trance that he can't comprehend. He wants to curse whoever blessed him with the gift that is Rey. A gift that he knows he can never have. 

So he fakes a façade of confidence and mirth hoping he doesn't look like a complete fool, cherishing these moments like the idiot he is, already knowing this girl he met on the plane has nestled into his heart forever.

 

~~~hour four

 

"He's been asleep for four hours. Should we see if he is still alive?" Ben jokes nodding towards the other passenger in their row.

They have been talking for an hour now, and Rey... well to be completely honest she forgot that they weren't alone. She's embarrassed by that thought. Now aware of how utterly distracted she has been by this very handsome, not quite stranger that is Ben. In her defense she is lacking in the entertainment department for this flight.

Their conversation has proven a very reasonable replacement though. And Rey has learned a lot about Ben this past hour. For instance, once they got past the initial attempts at awkward conversation his sense of humor shined through.

_I'm screwed._

She has somehow fallen down a chasm of attraction toward this man. Well, no she hasn't fallen. Rey has willingly jumped without an understanding as to why. The realization hits her like a brick wall as she stares back at him, smile plastered on her face before responding.

"Who knows if he's actually been asleep? Maybe he has enjoyed listening to our suspenseful conversation." Rey adds, voice dripping in sarcasm.

She gets a smile from that.

"You're right, we shouldn't expose him like that," He responds before taking the final sip of his Dr. Pepper.

"So why fantasy?" Rey asks before mimicking his action, pathetically shaking the small plastic cup to get the last drop.

Ben ponders her question for a moment before responding, his face lost in contemplation; and it shouldn't, but the expression kills her.

"I hate to give such a dull answer, but it just was what I read when I was younger." He pauses before adding, "You get transported to a different place. I used it as an escape for most of my childhood. Hell, I can probably recite all of Tolkien." He laughs quietly, his gaze far off in what Rey assumes is remembrance; there is a sadness there.

Its moments like this that makes her realize there is something more to his past. Something he won't say, and Rey's mind is quick to remind her that he has no need to tell her his whole life story. They have only known each other for four hours, but Rey wants to know. She has this weird rooted desire to comfort him. To learn about everything that haunts him and to be there. To help him.

She closes the thought before she can over analyze it.

"Really I took you as more of a Martin fan."

He quips back at her, "Oh I was, still am actually, but it took me a bit to get through the books. Dare I say I like the show better?"

"Yes!" Rey exclaims, "My roommate Rose, she's a die hard original everything fan. God don't even get me started about her and Star Wars."  
"Let me guess she's an original trilogy only fan?"

"Yup! She's all against Disney and the new trilogy. Don't get me wrong I love Rose but she refuses to see the blatantly clear romantic tension between the main characters. I mean how much more proof do you need! J.J. Abrams called them his prince and princess before The Last Jedi, it's been their thing since the beginning!" Rey stops, suddenly very aware that he may not have the same view as her.

She looks at him sheepishly, realizing her rant and hoping he is not an anti.

Ben is grinning ear to ear.

_She's literally perfect._ He thinks.

Not only does she know her fantasy, but she also has the same Star Wars views as him. How did he get so lucky?

Rey blushes before letting out a little 'sorry', and Ben... he can't.

Watching her little rant did things to him. Serious things; and now because he is caught in the moment and can't stop his brain from saying.

"You're absolutely perfect." 

 

~~~hour five

 

Rey brushed aside the comment with a blush and a laugh, unsure how to respond. 

_He was probably joking._

She lets her mind talk her out of thinking he may, with some shred of hope, have any sort of interest in her. 

Rey also tries to let her mind convince her that she is not interested in him, which is completely false. 

How could she not be. 

She knew she was fucked the moment she laid eyes on him. 

And no she was definitely not imagining running her hands through his hair, or planting kisses up and down that scar that disappeared down his chest... 

No, Rey was not thinking those things. 

Okay she might be thinking a little bit about those things. 

She realizes shes staring again and goes a darker shade of pink. 

_You have got to get a hold of yourself._

She opts to go to the bathroom before she does something stupid that she will most definitely regret. Ben stands up to let her out of the seat and once again she is struck by just how tall he is. Before she can stop herself her mind makes up a scenario where she may or may not be pressed up against a wall by that massive body and... 

_God! Stop it!_

She rushes to the bathroom at the front of the plane, not even bothering to check and see if the back lavatory was occupied. She needed all the time she could get, otherwise the irrational part of her brain would overload and she would say or do god knows what. 

Who knew spending five hours on a plane with an unreasonably attractive man would do this to her. 

 

Ben couldn't stop himself from staring at her as she made her way down the aisle of the plane. 

He thinks, no he knows, this woman was made to kill him. 

No one could be that perfect.

And, oh, he had said just that. 

_That is probably why she is leaving. She doesn't like you like that and she is trying to figure out how to deal with you._

His mind wages war and he sits back down, running his hand through his hair.

_Good job Ben. Gone and fucked everything up again haven't you._

There was no way he stood a chance with her. No way at all. She still had a life to live, and Ben... well Ben would only ruin it. 

That still didn't solve his problem though. No matter how hard he tried he would still be attracted to her, and it was taking some serious self control to not make that blatantly obvious.

But his body was a traitor to his mind. 

When she returned he, again, stood up for her. But clearly the world hated him because the second she moved to scoot past him back to her seat the plane gave a lurch and the next thing he knew she was pressed against him and it did things to him. 

The pilot's voice came on the intercom a second later announcing a second later that they would be hitting turbulence and everyone needed to remain in their seats. 

Fuck me.

He pulled the seatback tray down in hopes of concealing the hardness that developed in his pants, and buckled in.  
Just one hour left he thought. 

And Rey reminded herself of the same. 

 

~~~hour six

 

Rey did not like turbulence.

That is an understatement. Rey HATES turbulence. Yeah sure she knows that planes rarely crash, and that she is probably 99.999 percent safe, but still. 

She also has never felt turbulence this bad. 

_It looks like were in Lost!_

Cramped spaces were fine with her. They had to be fine with her because there was no way she could have survived Plutt's if she was claustrophobic, but being in a cramped space suspended 35,000 feet in the air when the plane is lurching and falling? Yeah no.

She frantically grasps the arm rests when the place hits an air pocket and plummets a few good feet. 

Her eyes are closed and she's trying to breathe normally when suddenly she feels a warmth over her left hand. 

Her breath catches, and it's not because of the flight. 

And when she looks up at him, and those glorious eyes, she can see something there. 

_No, its just you're hopeful heart. You are doing it again. Making things something they aren't._

He is blushing though. This Rey cannot deny. Ben's ears are red and his cheeks are slowly following suit. 

And Rey just stares.

"Sorry. Shit I," He removes his hand. 

"No! Oh sorry I mean... I just... that actually helps." 

Her body moves before her brain can shut down the action and she flips her hand upward and takes his in her own. She lets her brain go then, not even bothering to shut it down, and Rey can't help but think that her hand fits perfectly in his. 

Like she was made to be holding his hand. 

And so much more. 

This whole interaction is not helping Ben any though. His mind is raging, with so many thoughts. 

_Shit._

He knows this feeling. He knows it all to well. It is so easy for him to get overwhelmed, and right now this interaction is very close to tipping him over the edge. 

Overwhelmed on a plane is never good. 

Freaking out in front of a girl that he has just met and somehow already really really likes... thats worse. But his brain takes over. 

He thinks about Rey. Everything she could mean to him, and his brain actually hates him because he imagines coming home to her every night. Rey standing there in support of his book if he ever got the damn thing published, and kissing her.

It further torments him by conjuring up an image. One of him taking her over every surface his brain can think of. He wonders what she sounds like when she comes. 

He wonders what she tastes like. 

But the thoughts that come after those fantasies, they torment him to no end. They have been tormenting him since he was young. 

_What happens when she realizes how fucked up I am._  
I don't deserve anything she could give me.  
She doesn't deserve to be weighed down by someone like me.  
Rey deserves to fly, and I would only clip her wings. 

He can't do this now. He _can't._

So he tries to tether himself to reality, not get lost in his thoughts so much that they pull him away. Following his therapist's advice he focuses on the warmth of her hands. They are calloused, and yet surprisingly smooth. Ben tries to make his thoughts stop, not thinking about whatever this might mean and just enjoys that it's happening.

Rey becomes his tether.

They stay like this the rest of the flight until they land, and the second those tires hit the tarmac Ben knows he can't lose the possibility of _this_. Whatever _this_ is.

 

~~~ baggage claim

 

The plane takes forever to unload, but it also doesn't help that they are at the back of the plane.

Rey gingerly taps the unknown man next to her as the row in front of them stands up, and he blinks awake thanking her. She has no idea how he was able to stay asleep during the entire flight, but she is really glad he wasn't dead. 

It's only when the other passengers start moving down the aisle that Rey removes her hand from Ben's. She is sad at the loss of contact, her body yearning for more, but she reminds herself that they have only known each other for six hours and that they had spent the last hour holding hands. She shouldn't feel anything. 

Ben stands up and, because the universe hates her, hands her down the broken duffel she calls her own, just making her love him more. 

_Love? Wait..What?_

She shakes off whatever it was that made her think that and walks out in front of him. 

Once they are off the plane he asks her, "Did you check bags?"

"Yeah, one. Your'e going to laugh when you see it. It is bright yellow with pink stripes." 

He grins at her comment and she can't help but feel like there is relief in his eyes, almost as if he was hoping she checked a bag so he could be with her longer. 

Their bags are both the last to arrive.

_Convenient._

He grabs hers and then his own and they just stop. 

She doesn't have words, and apparently neither does he. 

Suddenly he moves, slowly, toward her, and takes her hand in his once more. Rey is rendered even further speechless. 

"God okay." He takes a deep breath as if to muster the courage to say something Rey really hopes he says. "I don't know what this is but I feel something here. I want to know if you feel the same because I promised when I decided to move here that I wouldn't let opportunities pass me up. And Rey... I feel like I was given an opportunity when you got on that plane."

"I feel it too." 

It's all she can say before he gets a little closer leaning down slightly. 

"May I kiss you?" He barely has time to finish the question when she closes the space and presses her lips to his. 

Her body is electric. 

Rey can't believe this. She cant process it in any sense; it feels like the past six hours shes been trapped in a romcom, but Rey can't seem to mind.  
She moans against Ben's mouth as he deepens the kiss and for the first time nothing is on his mind. Nothing but her. 

Reluctantly Rey pulls away, smiling and pressing her mouth together as if to remind herself of what just happened. 

"That was a really nice speech you gave," she says, voice ever so slightly tinted with sarcasm.

"Well I am an author remember." 

Yes, Rey remembers. She will never forget anything about this man. 

"Oh here!" He pulls his phone out of his pocket, unlocks it, and hands it to her. "I would really like to get to know you more. Plus you can give me feedback on my book."  
The phone prompts a promise of something, and as she enters her number she can't help but float away to a dream she hopes will come true. 

She hands it back and smiles. It warms Ben's heart. 

"Text me first, my phone is still dead."

He nods, and then Rey is on him again and he smiles through the kisses.

"Okay I really have to go now, Rose is probably driving around looking for me."

He lets her go and she trots away waving back behind her. 

 

That night Rey doesn't sleep. 

Instead she reads.

And reads.

And reads.

The second she finishes she sends him a text, not caring it was three in the morning.

\--I finished your book. 

He responds within seconds.

> Oh?

\--Yep! 

\--I had one issue with it though..

> and that is?

\-- the smut is so so. 

\-- I feel like I could help you come up with better ways to write it though ;)

> By all means, show me.

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone is confused with how star wars is working in this universe, basically just think of the characters with different names. I'm honestly not sure how it even works I just really wanted them to bond over absolutely everything. Also I know I spelled Snoke's name wrong, I did this deliberately for his novel. 
> 
> Anyway! Thank you so much for reading this, I love you all!


End file.
